Theatre costume
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Doboujinsky, Rostislav (costume designer)
de Nobili, Lila, born 1916 - died 2002 (costume designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
[Theatre costume] Knitted metal cord
[Theatre costume] Knitted metal cord, cotton and leather
- Credit Line:
Given by The Royal Academy of Dancing
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Theatre & Performance, room 105, case 11
- Image in copyright
Lila de Nobili (1916-2002) was a designer of great delicacy and ingenuity. In 1968, she designed Peter Wright's production of The Sleeping Beauty for the Royal Ballet, and the surviving artefacts are little masterpieces of both imagination and craftsmanship. There were, in fact, so many visual delights that it took several viewings to realise them all.
In Act III of the ballet, the guests at the wedding of Princess Aurora and her Prince include several fairy-tale characters, including Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. The costume for the Wolf was a glorious mix of realism and imagination, the mask intensely realistic, allied to a chain-mail tunic and tights, with a very smart little hat. This wolf's head was a superb example of animal headdress-making. It was devised by the great mask-maker Rostislav Doboujinsky, who was later to make the headdresses for the film of Frederick Ashton's ballet Tales of Beatrix Potter. Dancing under the heat of stage lights is uncomfortable, and having to wear full head mask is not popular with the performers, so the masks have to be as light as possible and give some ventilation. By the 1960s, new materials allowed Doboujinsky to create heads that were substantial but light enough to be worn for long periods, give as wide an angle of vision as possible and try to ensure that the wearer did not overheat.
Physical description
[Theatre costume] Long sleeved tunic of knitted 'old gold' metal cord with dagged lower edge and a zip fastener at each shoulder
[Theatre costume] Tights of knitted metal cord in horizontal stripes of silver and dark gold with a band of grey cotton at waist. The tights have attached soles.
[Theatre costume] Headdress in the form of a wolf head with open mouth and plastic teeth, the front of the neck and sides of the head of rabbit fur, the back of the neck with attached high chain mail collar of knitted metal cord extending over the wearer's shoulders. Between the ears an attached 'Robin Hood' red felt hat with, to front, an extended pointed brim, curling backwards
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (made)
Date
1968 (made)
Artist/maker
Doboujinsky, Rostislav (costume designer)
de Nobili, Lila, born 1916 - died 2002 (costume designer)
Materials and Techniques
[Theatre costume] Knitted metal cord
[Theatre costume] Knitted metal cord, cotton and leather
Marks and inscriptions
[Theatre costume] 'Sleeping Beauty / Wolf / Mr Ronald Plaister [sic] / Back'
[Theatre costume] 'Sleeping Beauty / Wolf / Ronald Plaisted'
Dimensions
[Theatre costume] Height: 97 cm, Width: 74 cm at lower edge, Width: 45 cm at waist
[Theatre costume] Height: 112 cm flat
[Theatre costume] Height: 53 cm, Width: 44 cm, Depth: 44 cm
Object history note
Costume for the Wolf worn by Ronald Plaisted in Act III of Marius Petipa's ballet The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1968. It was intended that this new production, staged by Peter Wright, should have a different 'look' to the Royal Ballet's famous former Sleeping Beauty designed by Oliver Messel. New and additional choreography was provided by Frederick Ashton. The 'Medieval' settings were designed by Henry Bardon, the costumes by Lila de Nobili and Rostislav Doboujinsky. The production was not considered a success, and was replaced by Kenneth MacMillan's new version in 1973.
Descriptive line
Costume for the Wolf in the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, designed by Rostislav Doboujinsky, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1968
Exhibition History
Theatre and Performance (Victoria and Albert Museum, Galleries 103 -106 01/01/2009-31/12/2009)
Materials
Plastic; Cotton (textile); Leather; Felt; Gauze; Papier-mâché; Fur; Metal cord
Techniques
Sewing; Glueing; Knitting; Forming
Categories
Entertainment & Leisure; Stage costumes; Hats & headwear
Collection code
T&P
